The Choughs In Porthtowan…
Slugs littered the inclined grassy paths which trailed
Towards a stone bench and the headland’s panoramic
Viewpoint across the ocean, which displayed a luscious
Deep turquoise attire, beneath a burgeoning mist and thick cloud…
Autumn’s silence across damp heather and gorse prevailed,
Bar the call and orange flash of a stonechat in panic
As I strolled nearby. The incessant tide became infectious
But soon I descended a stony track, away from the sea’s drizzly shroud…
Three black birds were perched upon fallen posts of wood,
Suggesting crows from a distance, dull and unclear,
Until a camera shot, zooming in, suggested otherwise:
Choughs, with red bills and legs and their fussy disposition…
They preened, they cleaned feathers, their expressions shrewd,
Then three became four and then others began to appear,
Until seven foraged tetchily together with startling black eyes,
Hooked beaks raking loose soil and squabbling with derision…
Pete Ray
6th November 2024…
Had twice seen choughs on the Lizard Peninsula many years ago but not since, so on my first morning in Porthtowan, 6th November 2024, it was magical to see seven of them feeding on the headland…
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